Watch: Camera Put on Giant Manta Ray for First Time Ever | National Geographic
Although manta rays are a really iconic species that have a really high value in tourism, they're also targeted all around the world in fisheries. But they're also incredibly susceptible to bycatch.
So, Critter cam is going to play a huge role in being able to pinpoint exactly what they're doing, what habitats they're using, when they're doing it, and what they're feeding on.
To get to the animals, all you have to do is throw on some scuba gear, hop in the water, head down to these rocky outcrops, and there are the mantas hanging out. They'll swim over you, they'll swim underneath you, and it's really just a matter of allowing them to get comfortable with you to the point where you can swim above and behind them and deploy a Critter cam right on top of their head.
Critter cam gives us the ability to ride along with the animals, to see and to record from the animals' perspective how they engage their world. It gives us information; it gives us insight into their natural history and behavioral ecology that we've never had the opportunity to study and explore before.
So, Critter cam is definitely a really critical aspect in eliminating and reducing bycatch. If all goes to plan, and we can identify a lot of these behaviors, it will greatly contribute to our understanding and conservation efforts.